I am not even sure how to review this; it was a last minute fancy dress buy and it shows. Gore fits beautifully (flat and not painful) which is unusual. The cups are too narrow in width, but the underwire is too long and ends up hanging out under my arms (making arm movement difficult), and yet the cups are also much too deep with lots of extra fabric on the top and my breasts aren't projected enough to fill the bottom. Pretty sure my ribcage is the only thing that holds this bra up. It's a lovely looking bra....on someone who can actually fit it.
This definitely does as it says: it minimises my breasts to a more coherent size relative to the rest of my body. The flesh has to go somewhere, though, so they take up more square footage of my chest as they are flattened. The fit is quite snug and the straps dug into my shoulders, but not terribly. The gore does not tack, but I think that's a quality of minimisers in general--I definitely cannot wear anything with a tighter band than this.
Unfortunately, the high and wide dimensions of this brassiere created some unflattering rolls from my underarm skin/fat, which is crucial as I wanted a lightweight minimizer to wear under strappy camisoles. It would not be an issue under a long-sleeved blouse.
The @Dominique @4346 is a version of the classic 'M-frame' form of bra that my mother (and maybe even her mother) used to wear, and even has the same model number as some of those. It's intended to yield a somewhat separated, slightly pointed look, which I like, and a well-fit M-frame will yield a good amount of control over even a fairly large bust.
The sides are a stretchy two-layer mesh which breathes fairly well. It seems true to size, perhaps a wee bit small in the cups, especially for me; however, the M-frame is fairly forgiving of large breasts, if you're okay with having the ...center line not be at all flush. A 42 band is short for me, but it's fine with a single extender. The straps are adjustable with sliders, and because of my shape I have a few issues with the side bands riding up if the fit of the straps is at all off.
I bought this bra about a year ago, when I was about a 32FF (I believe it was from herroom). It worked well at the time, but is now much too small for me unfortunately
I originally was wearing the same style but in a 38F, after going up a size I think that the 38G fits much better. The gore still doesn't rest on my sternum but I've been told that this is typical with minimizer bras and large breasts. DominiqueDominique Seamless Underwire Minimizer (7000)
Surprisingly cute and supportive bra, definitely has changed my entire outlook on underwire bras (I previously believed I would NEVER find one that fit without making me cry). Everything fits perfectly except for the center gore which doesn't lay flat against my sternum. However, I've been told that this is normal for large breasts and minimizer bras. I've since moved up to a 38G which fits better but the gore still doesn't lay flat. DominiqueDominique Seamless Underwire Minimizer (7000)
Cons: Stretched out about a month after purchase Quad-boob/ Not enough coverage Straps don't stay put Sits low and leaves marks on stomach/lower ribcage
I got this bra a while ago when I was a bit bigger, (measurements 30 ribcage, 37 over the entire bust) it fit almost perfectly from the start & the only thing that bothered me a little bit was that it would appear as if my breasts were spilling over just the tiniest bit on the top , but they really weren't it was just the shape the bra pushed them up into. Overall though this was one of my favorite bras; it did its job well as a minimizer and pretty comfortable for me as well.
Now that I've lost some weight the cups are too ...big, but I must say the band has held up really well because after wearing it comfortably on the last hook as a 30 for a long time, it still fits me snugly right now on the 2nd hook.
Also, I found this bra gave the breast a nice soft rounded shape.
Pros:
Does what it's meant to (minimizes) Great support Band didn't stretch out Silky smooth fabric, no itch
Cons:
Plain in appearance Thin cups, nipples show through